2
CapitalPress.com
September 15, 2017
People & Places
Eclipsing a family’s dream
James Holesinsky
converts Idaho
dairy farm into
vineyard, winery
Established 1928
Board of directors
Mike Forrester
Steve Forrester
Kathryn Brown
Susan Rana
Mike Omeg
Corporate Officer
Heidi Wright
Chief Operating Officer
Western
Innovator
By CAROL RYAN DUMAS
Capital Press
BUHL, Idaho — Land that
once hosted a small family
dairy farm now boasts rows of
bountiful grapevines and an
award-winning winery. The
cows have been gone for de-
cades, and the former milking
parlor has been transformed
into a winery with old-world
ambiance.
James Holesinsky’s par-
ents stopped milking cows in
the late 1970s and went into
the dairy chemical business,
but his father always wished
there was a vineyard on the
farm’s green pastures.
At 22, Holesinsky made
that happen.
Some friends were plant-
ing grapes and had leftover
vines. Holesinsky was work-
ing in the family business,
but being an avid gardener
and wanting to honor his fa-
ther’s lifelong dream, he took
the plunge — planting 1,000
Chardonnay vines.
His dad, other family
members and friends helped
with the planting — and the
vineyard finally became real-
ity.
That same year, 2001,
Holesinsky started taking
wine-making and viticulture
courses online through the
University of California-Da-
vis Extension, later earning
a winemaking certification
through the program.
The next year, he planted
3,000 Syrah, 2,000 Merlot
and 200 Port grape vines.
“And the rest is history.
We just started making wine
every year from then on,” he
said.
The vineyard expanded
again in 2006, adding 2,000
Cabernet Sauvignon and
1,000 Riesling vines. Muscat
vines were added in 2007.
But it isn’t easy growing
grapes so far inland; they
need good drainage and good
airflow.
“Both are equally import-
ant. We learned the hard way,”
Capital Press
James Holesinsky
Age: 39
Established: 2001
Location: Buhl, Idaho
Grape acreage: 6 acres
and contracted grapes from
nearby vineyards
Wines: Syrah, Merlot, Char-
donnay, Riesling, Rose, red
blends and dessert wines
Photos by Carol Ryan Dumas/Capital Press
Awards: Idaho Wine
Competition — 2 gold, 2
silver, 3 bronze; Northwest
Wine Summit — 2 gold, 1
silver, 5 bronze; Idaho Wine
Festival — 1 gold; Denver
International Wine Com-
petition — 2 gold; Critics
Challenge International
Wine Competition — 1 gold;
Riverside International Wine
Competition — 1 bronze; Sa-
vor Northwest Wine Awards
— 4 silver
James Holesinsky transformed his parents’ Buhl, Idaho, dairy into a vineyard and winery.
he said.
Most attempts at grow-
ing grapes in the area end in
failure because of the frost. It
freezes the vines back to the
ground every year, he said.
He tried growing grapes on
all 14 acres of the farm, but
only 6 acres turned out to be
suitable for grapes.
He adds to his own harvest
by contracting grapes from
the Hagerman, Idaho, area and
bottles about 700 cases of wine
a year.
He prides himself on us-
ing French-style wine-making
techniques for his red wines
— aging on the lees, the dead
yeast cells and other particles
that remain after fermentation
and settle as sediment. He also
lets the wine sit in oak barrels
for about two years, longer for
some wines, before tapping it
to the bottle.
“Most people mismanage
the lees; you have to make it
aerobic. That’s where you get
all your flavor,” he said.
Good wine takes patience,
dedication, time and experi-
ence. Along the way, some
things don’t work out, he said.
“You have to stay with the
method and perfect it … make
it your own. It’s a lot of fix it
as you go,” he said.
His goal is to create world-
class wines with no shortcuts,
no impurities, no over-pro-
cessing or over-filtering and
no additives, and his wines
have won numerous awards in
Employees: 1 full-time, 1
part-time and a few seasonal
workers
Tours and tastings: By
appointment
Vineyard and winery owner James Holesinsky, left, and winery
manager Eric Smallwood.
prestigious competitions.
“When someone buys my
wine, I want them to taste it
and know that this is what
wine is supposed to taste like,”
he said.
Helping Holesinsky is win-
ery manager Eric Smallwood,
who handles marketing, sales,
distribution and new-prod-
uct development. He came on
board a year ago, and is also
training to be a wine maker.
The two have been friends
for years. Smallwood had been
working in North Dakota as a
concert promoter, but was back
in Idaho on a visit when he
and Holesinsky started talking
about taking the winery to a
higher level.
“James needed someone
to come in and run the winery
because he’s been tied up with
his other business,” the chemi-
cal business he bought from his
parents, Smallwood said.
The winery self-distributes
to retailers and restaurants in
the Boise, Sun Valley and Twin
Falls areas..
One wine — Blackout, a
Syrah and Cabernet Franc blend
produced for the solar eclipse
— had a wider draw. The wine
was featured on NBC’s “Today
Show” in mid-August in a seg-
ment about food and drink cel-
ebrating the eclipse.
“It’s been the most success-
ful release of the winery ever,”
Smallwood said.
The winery produced 112
cases, and it sold out in about
three weeks. People from all
over the country are still con-
tacting the winery, trying to get
their hands on it, he said.
“It’s really been surreal.
It was the first label I’ve ever
done on a wine bottle, and it hit
a home run,” he said.
The winery will soon be
coming out with a new blend
and a new label — Idavine, tied
to how popular Idaho wines
have become, he said.
The winery already applied
for federal label approval and
expects to have that certifica-
tion by mid-October. It will also
start marketing wine in pouch-
es, and it prides itself on locally
sourcing all its graphic designs
and screen printed labels.
Holesinsky also plans to
transition back to organic. The
vineyard started out certified
organic and still grows the
grapes organically, but delays
in organic inspections were
limiting his marketing and he
ended up letting go of the cer-
tification.
The winery is open for
tours and tastings by appoint-
ment, and its dessert wines are
currently only sold on site.
Capital Press Managers
Joe Beach ..................Editor & Publisher
Elizabeth Yutzie Sell .... Advertising Director
Carl Sampson ................Managing Editor
Jessica Boone ........ Production Manager
Samantha McLaren .... Circulation Manager
Entire contents copyright © 2017
EO Media Group
dba Capital Press
An independent newspaper
published every Friday.
Capital Press (ISSN 0740-3704) is
published weekly by EO Media Group,
1400 Broadway St. NE, Salem OR 97301.
Periodicals postage paid at Portland, OR,
and at additional mailing offices.
POSTMASTER: send address changes to
Capital Press, P.O. Box 2048 Salem, OR
97308-2048.
To Reach Us
Circulation ......................... 800-882-6789
Email ........ Circulation@capitalpress.com
Main line ........................... 503-364-4431
Fax ................................... 503-370-4383
Advertising Fax ................ 503-364-2692
News Staff
N. California
Tim Hearden .................... 530-605-3072
E Idaho
John O’Connell ................. 208-421-4347
Idaho
Carol Ryan Dumas .......... 208-860-3898
Boise
Sean Ellis .......................... 208-914-8264
Cent. Washington
Dan Wheat ........................ 509-699-9099
W. Washington
Don Jenkins ...................... 360-722-6975
E Washington
Matthew Weaver .............. 509-688-9923
Oregon
Eric Mortenson ................ 503-412-8846
Mateusz Perkowski .......... 800-882-6789
Graphic artist
Alan Kenaga ..................... 800-882-6789
To Place Classified Ads
Ad fax .............................. 503-364-2692
or ...................................... 503-370-4383
Telephone (toll free) .......... 800-882-6789
Online ......www.capitalpress.com/classifieds
Subscriptions
Mail rates paid in advance
Easy Pay U.S. $3.75/month (direct with-
drawal from bank or credit card account)
1 year U.S. ...................................$49.99
2 years U.S. .................................$89.99
1 year Canada .................................$275
1 year other countries ......... call for quote
Calendar
Sponsored by:
To submit an event go to the
Community Events calendar on the
home page of our website at www.
capitalpress.com and click on “Sub-
mit an Event.” Calendar items can
also be mailed to Capital Press,
1400 Broadway St. NE, Salem, OR
97301 or emailed to newsroom@
capitalpress.com.
Friday-Saturday
Sept. 15-16
U.S. Cattlemen’s Association
Producer’s Forum. Bighorn Resort,
1801 Majestic Lane, Billings, Mont.
Updates and roundtables will cover
legislation, the cattle market, trade
and other topics of interest to cattle-
men. Roger Johnson, president of
the National Farmers Union, will be
the keynote speaker on Saturday.
Through Sunday,
Sept. 24
Washington State Fair. 10 a.m.-
10 p.m. Fairground in Puyallup, 110
9th Ave. SW, Puyallup, Wash. The
Washington State Fair, commonly
referred to as the Puyallup Fair, is
the largest single attraction held an-
nually in Washington. Closed Tues-
days. Website: www.thefair.com/
Tuesday-Wednesday
Sept. 19-20
Central Oregon Occupational
Safety & Health Conference. The
Riverhouse, Bend, Ore. Cannabis
worker safety and health will be a
topic, and small agriculture em-
ployers can learn about becoming
conditionally exempt from Oregon
OSHA inspections. Website: safety-
series.event.com/central17
Thursday, Sept. 21
OSU Small Farms School.
8:30 a.m.-4:30 p.m. Clackamas
Community College, 19600 S. Mo-
lalla Ave., Oregon City, Ore. This
day-long event features classes
in a variety of topics important to
small-scale farmers. Sponsored
by Oregon State University Exten-
sion, the Clackamas Soil and Water
Conservation District and Clacka-
mas Community College. Website:
http://smallfarms.oregonstate.edu/
small-farm-school
Saturday, Sept. 23
15th Annual Yamhill-Carlton
FFA Alumni Benefit Dinner and Auc-
tion. 5-9 p.m. Carlton Legion Hall,
158 East Main St., Carlton, Ore.
Social hour and silent auction start
at 5 p.m. Dinner and live auction are
at 7 p.m. Tables for eight may be re-
served for $100 and individual tick-
ets may be purchased the night of
the event for $15. All proceeds from
this event directly benefit the Yam-
hill Carlton FFA Chapter through
the funding of scholarships, student
leadership training, travel to events
and more. To reserve tables contact
Doreen Van De Grift at 503-319-
1948. For more information contact
us at ycffa.alumni@gmail.com
Goat Education Day. 8:30
a.m.-4 p.m. OSU Southern Oregon
Research and Extension Center
Auditorium, 569 Hanley Road,
Central Point, Ore. Choose four
classes from a selection of 11,
two in the morning and two in the
afternoon, for $35. Or choose two
morning classes and cheesemak-
ing in the afternoon for $50. Class
topics are geared to both beginner
and advanced goat owners from
Getting Ready for Kidding Sea-
son and Holistic Goat Care to the
foundations of Nutrition and Feed
and the Making of Goat Milk Soaps
and Lotions. Presenters include Dr.
Charles Estill, OSU veterinarian;
Gianaclis Caldwell, author; and
Christina Strickland and others from
the Rogue Valley Dairy Goat Asso-
ciation. Register online at http://bit.
ly/JacksonGoatEdDay2017 or call
541-776-7371. Ask about a youth
discount. Cost: $35 to $50. Web-
site: http://extension.oregonstate.
edu/sorec/SF-classes
Sunday, Sept. 24
Summer Farm Day. Noon-4
p.m. Ruby & Amber’s Farm, Dore-
na, Ore. Sponsored by the Willa-
mette Farm & Food Coalition. Web-
site: willamettefarmandfood.org
Thursday, Sept. 28
14th annual Oregon Farm Bu-
reau Classic Golf Tournament.
GASES / WELDING / SAFETY / FIRE
www.oxarc.com
12:30-6 p.m. Stone Creek Golf
Club, 14603 S. Stoneridge Drive,
Oregon City, Ore. A fundraiser for
the Oregon Farm Bureau PAC.
Website:
http://oregonfb.org/
events-2/
Friday, Sept. 29
Fall Forestry Educational Semi-
nar. 8 a.m.-5 p.m. Cowlitz Regional
Conference Center, 1900 Seventh
Ave. SW, Longview, Wash. Spon-
sored by the Washington Tree Farm
Program, this seminar includes in-
formation on managing and main-
taining tree farms. ATFS certified
tree Farmers are $70 ($105 with
spouse), others are $80 ($120 with
spouse). Register by Sept. 8. Web-
site: watreefarm.org
Tuesday-Wednesday
Oct. 3-4
Drone World Expo 2017. San
Jose Convention Center, 150 W.
San Carlos St., San Jose, Calif. The
Expo will feature a robust exhibit
floor, visionary keynote speakers,
timely and industry-leading edu-
cational programs and networking
events. The business-to-business
event attracts over 3,000 profes-
sional attendees from a variety of
industries from agriculture to law
enforcement. Website: www.drone-
worldexpo.com
Friday, Oct. 6
Goat workshop. 5:30-8:30 p.m.
Creswell Community Center, 99
S. First St., Creswell, Ore. Basic
health topics such as diseases to
be aware of, vaccinations and hoof
health. Nutritive values of feeds
including browse, hay, grains, and
protein and mineral supplements.
Poisonous plants for goats and
methods for weed management.
The presenters will be Dr. Charles
Estill, Shelby Filley, OSU Extension
Service Livestock and Forage Spe-
cialist and Melissa Fery, OSU Ex-
tension Service small farms agent.
Website: http://smallfarms.oregon-
state.edu/south-valley/events
Saturday, Oct. 7
Hoop House Production Work-
shop. 9 a.m.-3:30 p.m. Western
Nevada College Fallon Campus,
20 Northwest Locations
160 Campus Way, Fallon, Nev.
Taught by a seasoned profession-
al with a background in research
and commercial production, the
workshop is ideal for intermediate
or advanced growers. Attendees
will learn about best practices that
apply to all hoop house production,
the eight most profitable crops,
best practices for vining, fruiting
and leafy crops and advanced
practices and techniques for hoop
house production. Website: www.
wnc.edu/specialty-crop-institute
Saturday-Sunday
Oct. 7-8
Alpaca Harvest Fest. 10 a.m.-4
p.m. Alpacas of Oregon, 21345 SW
Aebischer Road, Sherwood, Ore.
Help EasyGo Farm and Alpacas
of Oregon celebrate our bountiful
harvest of colorful alpacas and
beautiful fleece. Get up close to
the alpacas — hand feed them
and meet the babies, females,
herdsires and “fiber boys” — less
expensive alpacas for fiber artists,
companions and pasture mowers.
Shop for sweaters, gloves, scarves
and more. Website: www.easygo-
farm.net/AOOHarvestFest
Tuesday-Thursday
Oct. 10-12
Oregon Vegetation Manage-
ment Association, Seaside Civic
and Convention Center, 415 First
Ave., Seaside, Ore. Hours for the
event are 10-6 p.m. Tuesday, 8
a.m.-6 p.m. Wednesday and 8 a.m.-
noon Thursday. Website: ovma.net
Saturday, Oct. 14
Northwest Farmers Union
2017 Convention 8 a.m.-11 p.m.
Walla Walla Community College,
500 Tausick Way, Walla Walla,
Wash. The Northwest Farmers
Union annual convention, which
hosts producers and supporters of
agriculture from around Washing-
ton, Idaho and Oregon, is an event
that has a multitude of educational
speakers, farmer/rancher speak-
ers/attendees, honorary awards
and general networking and ca-
maraderie. The event is our gath-
ering for our membership to come
together and enact our grassroots
1-800-765-9055
policy for the upcoming year as
well as help guide the many pro-
grams that we work to implement
for our membership. Members can
vote on changes to the policy and
structure of the organization as
well as take part in leadership op-
portunities and network with other
leaders from around the region.
Cost: $50 Website: www.nwfu.org
1 year Internet only .......................$49.99
1 year 4-H, FFA students and teachers ....$30
9 months 4-H, FFA students & teachers .....$25
Visa and Mastercard accepted
To get information published
Mailing address:
Capital Press
P.O. Box 2048
Salem, OR 97308-2048
Saturday-Sunday
Oct. 21-22
News: Contact the main office or news
staff member closest to you, send the in-
formation to newsroom@capitalpress.com
or mail it to “Newsroom,” c/o Capital Press.
Include a contact telephone number.
All About Fruit Show. 10 a.m.-4
p.m. Clackamas County Fairplex,
694 NE Fourth Ave., Canby, Ore.
Taste hundreds of varieties of ap-
ples, pears, kiwi and grapes. Web-
site: http://www.homeorchardsoci-
ety.org/events/
Letters to the Editor: Send your
comments on agriculture-related public
issues to opinions@capitalpress.com, or
mail your letter to “Opinion,” c/o Capital
Press. Letters should be limited to
300 words. Deadline: Noon Monday.
Wednesday-Saturday
Oct. 25-28
90th National FFA Convention
and Expo. Bankers Life Field-
house, Lucas Oil Stadium, India-
napolis, Ind. Website: https://www.
ffa.org/
Thursday-Saturday
Oct. 26-28
Washington State Sheep Pro-
ducers Annual meeting and con-
vention. Hilltop Inn, 928 NW Olsen
St., Pullman, Wash. Among the
many events on the agenda are
presentations by the Washington
State University Department of
Animal Sciences, the University of
Idaho Department of Animal and
Veterinary Sciences and by Dr. Bri-
an Joseph, Washington State Vet-
erinarian. Website: www.wssp.org
Thursday, Nov. 2
Four-Part Farm and Ranch
Succession Workshop 6-8:30 p.m.
Online or Clackamas Community
College Harmony Campus, 7738
SE Harmon Road, Milwaukie, Ore.
Learn from an attorney, an ac-
countant, an appraiser, a banker,
the director of Oregon State Uni-
versity’s Austin Family Business
Program and farmers who’ve been
through the process. Receive free
one-on-one succession counseling
sessions between each event. Part
one of four parts. Cost: Free. Web-
site: http://bit.ly/2elYcPx
Capital Press ag media
www.capitalpress.com
www.FarmSeller.com
marketplace.capitalpress.com
www.facebook.com/capitalpress
www.facebook.com/farmseller
twitter.com/capitalpress
www.youtube.com/capitalpressvideo
Index
California ...............................11
Dairy ...................................... 9
Idaho ...................................... 8
Livestock ............................... 9
Markets ............................... 13
Opinion .................................. 6
Oregon ................................ 10
Washington ........................... 7
Correction policy
Accuracy is important to Capital
Press staff and to our readers.
If you see a misstatement,
omission or factual error in a
headline, story or photo caption,
please call the Capital Press
news department at
503-364-4431, or send email to
newsroom@capitalpress.com.
We want to publish corrections to
set the record straight.